Swimming pool for horses

ABSTRACT

A swimming pool for use in exercising and conditioning horses in the form of a recessed water-filled tank of circular configuration having a sloping ramp portion providing ingress and egress of said tank and an island in the center of said tank creating thereby an annular-shaped pool, and a pair of diametrically opposed counterbalanced pedestrian bridges linking the island with the pool perimeter, with the bridges normally maintained with their island ends elevated.

United States Patent Little n51 3,691,995 [451 Sept. 19, 1972 [54]SWIMMING POOL FOR HORSES [72] Inventor: Glen Melvon Little, P.O. Box244,

Burns, Oreg. 97720 [22] Filed: April 13, 1970 211 Appl. No.: 27,644

[52] US. Cl. ......l19/29, 119/158 [51] Int. Cl. ..A0lk 15/00 [58] Fieldof Search .1 /5,158, 29,

- l;4/172;l72.12172.l6;52/l69' [56] References Cited UNITED STATESPATENTS 3,208,434 9/1965 Barton ..1l9l158 3,259,105 7/1966 Shepard..119/29 3,488,782 1/1970 Billig et a1 ..4/172 984,956 2/1911 Messer..4/172.16

2,751,880 6/1956 Markowski ..1 19/5 3,478,370 11/1969 Sternet a1...4/172 1,345,801 7/1920 Mullins ..1 19/158 1,354,113 9/1920 Leverett..119/1 3,179,084 4/1965 Norris et al ..1 19/5 Primary Examiner-AldrichF. Medbery Attorney-Daniel P. Chernoff [57] ABSTRACT 4 Claims, 2 DrawingFigures PATENTED EP B 3.691 995 sum 1 (IF 2 FIG. 1

PATENTEDSEPISIBIZ 3,591 995 sum 2 or 2 FIG. 2

' SWIMMING POOL FOR HORSES This invention is a simple economicallyconstructed swimming pool for horses which will be used primarily forconditioning race horses. It may be constructed of either concrete orsteel. Many trainers today resort to lakes, ponds and even the ocean forthis exercise and conditioning.

This pool provides a safe method for horse swimming in that it allowsattendants to supervise this activity and quickly remove an animal inthe event he is experiencing difficulty. Many horses are not ableswimmers, and initially it will be desired to take an animal straightthrough the pool with an attendant on either side as a precautionarymeasure. The ramps which join the center island are counterbalanced andallow a man to walk under them when supervising horses in the pool. Theisland in the center affords an opportunity to give the horse as muchswimming as desired for the animal may be required to swim around itseveral times to gain the desired exercise.

Length or width is not critical, for this inventionprovides any amountof exercise desired in a minimum area. The pool may be preconstructed,whether it be concrete or steel, and as the drawing indicates, it is notperfectly round, but rather it is constructed in panels.

With these and other objects definitely in view, this invention consistsin the novel construction, combination and arrangement of elements andportions as will be hereinafter fully described in the specification,particularly pointed out in the claims, and illustrated in the drawingswhich form a material part of this disclosure, and in which thefollowingdrawings more fully explain this novel idea;

FIG. [is an overhead view, and

FIG. 2 is a side view.

With reference to FIG. 1, the view shows the entire pool, indicated bythe number 2, which is constructed island 4, it will raise to a pointwhereby he can easily walkunder it and supervise the swimming whileholding the horse. When the attendant desires to remove of concrete andhas a walkway 7 around the entire pool. The octagonal shaped island inthe center has a steel railing 6 entirely around it, except for thosetwo areas where it is met by the ramp 5.

FIG. 2 more appropriately shows the workings of this invention. Number 1indicates the ramp whereby the animals enter the pool. As the horsereaches the depth where it must swim, it may be accompanied by anattendant on either side or both sides, using the walkways 7 with oneattendant proceeding onto the counterbalanced rarnp 5. At the time theattendant reaches the the animal, he simply pulls the othercounterbalanced ramp 5 to a level position and moves the animal out viathe exit ramp 3.

I claim:

1. In a swimming pool for use in exercising and conditioning horses ofthe type having a recessed waterfilled tank of generally circularconfiguration with its upper edge substantially flush with ground levelthe improvement wherein an island of which an attendant may stand isprovided proximate the center of said tank creating thereby anannular-shaped pool for horses; said island being linked to theperimeter of said pool by a pedestrian bridge having counterbalancingmeans for normally maintaining the island end of said bridge elevates ata height above sai island sufficient to enable sai attendant on said ISand to pass underneath said bridge, and yet at a height low enough toplace said island end within manual reach of said attendant on saidisland, said counterbalancing force imposed by said counterbalancingmeans constituting a means for maintaining said island end of saidbridge in said elevated position and being sufficiently weak as to beovercome by said attendants manual downward pull on said island end toenable him to lower said bridge from said island in order to cross tothe perimeter of said pool.

2. A swimming pool for horses as set forth in claim 1 furthercharacterized in that a pair of such bridges are provided linking saidisland with said pool perimeter, said bridge pair being in substantiallydiametrical alignment.

3. A swimming pool for horses according to claim I further characterizedin that there is a circumferential walkway for an attendant providedaround said pool perimeter.

4. A swimming pool for horses as set forth in claim 2, further includinga pair of ramps communicating with said pool at respective locations onthe perimeter thereof in a line parallel to and adjacent said pair ofdiametrically aligned bridges, one of said ramps comprising an entryramp for the horses and the other comprising an exit ramp for thehorses, said pair of bridges serving to support an attendant as heguides a horse from said entry ramp to said exit ramp across said pool.

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE CERTIFICATE OF CGRRECTION Patent No.3,691,995 Dated September 19 1972 Invent r(s) Glen M. Little It iscertified that error appears in the above-identified patent and thatsaid Letters Patent are hereby corrected as shown below:

Col. 1, Line 39 after "center" insert -4-.

Col. 2, Line 12 change "of" to --on.

Signed and sealed this 30th day of January 1973.

(SEAL) Attest:

EDWARD M.FLETCHER, JR. ROBERT GOTTSCHALK Attesting OfficerCon'mlissioner of Patents FORM PO-1050 (1 USCOMM-DC 60376-P69 {r UYS.GOVERNMENT PRINTING OFFICE: I969 O-366-334

1. In a swimming pool for use in exercising and conditioning horses ofthe type having a recessed water-filled tank of generally circularconfiguration with its upper edge substantially flush with ground levelthe improvement wherein an island of which an attendant may stand isprovided proximate the center of said tank creating thereby anannular-shaped pool for horses; said island being linked to theperimeter of said pool by a pedestrian bridge having counterbalancingmeans for normally maintaining the island end of said bridge elevated ata height above said island sufficient to enable said attendant on saidisland to pass underneath said bridge, and yet at a height low enough toplace said island end within manual reach of said attendant on saidisland, said counterbalancing force imposed by said counterbalancingmeans constituting a means for maintaining said island end of saidbridge in said elevated position and being sufficiently weak as to beovercome by said attendant''s manual downward pull on said island end toenable him to lower said bridge from said island in order to cross tothe perimeter of said pool.
 2. A swimming pool for horses as set forthin claim 1 further characterized in that a pair of such bridges areprovided linking said island with said pool perimeter, said bridge pairbeing in substantially diametrical alignment.
 3. A swimming pool forhorses according to claim 1 further characterized in that there is acircumferential walkway for an attendant provided around said poolperimeter.
 4. A swimming pool for horses as set forth in claim 2,further including a pair of ramps communicating with said pool atrespective locations on the perimeter thereof in a line parallel to andadjacent said pair of diametrically aligned bridges, one of said rampscomprising an entry ramp for the horses and the other comprising an exitramp for the horses, said pair of bridges serving to support anattendant as he guides a horse from said entry ramp to said exit rampacross said pool.